NEWS
Children’s eyecare initiative
Polly Dulley is chair of this national group, run by the Optical Confederation. The aim of the group is to improve eyecare for ALL children. This means trying to get the message across to both parents and teachers that eyecare is vital for all children. In the UK, just 53% of children have ever had any kind of eye examination, and this means that one in five children have an undetected vision problem.
Many parents assume that children’ss eyes are still checked at school, but this is simply not the case, in many parts of the UK. They also think that a child will complain if they have a vision problem, but many children don’st realise they have a problem, because they have no idea of what is normal.
So far, Polly has written a letter to the head teachers of 23,000 schools in the UK, asking for help from teachers in encouraging parents to get their children’ss eyes checked, and offering help and resources to improve understanding and knowledge about eyes and eyecare.
Many children who come to Aves already have been used in filming and for interviews in both local and national newspapers, telling their own story of why regular eyecare is so important and how it has changed their lives.
If your children haven’st had an eye examination, book them in today. It’ss free and it might make a huge difference to your child’ss development. Children who can’st see clearly find it more difficult to learn and play!
Prescription Sunglasses
Protecting our eyes from the sun’ss harmful rays is vital. Eye conditions such as cataract and macular degeneration are both more likely in people who don’st protect their eyes from the sun. Aves stock a wide range of both non-prescription and prescription sunglasses. A complete pair of prescription sunglasses costs as little as £99, so do pop in and have a look. Be ready for the sunshine!
Colorimetry
We are delighted to be involved in this area of optometry which investigates the use of coloured filters to aid reading and associated near vision tasks in people with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty, associated particularly with reading and spelling. Many people with dyslexia suffer from visual stress. Visual stress is NOT the same as dyslexia but is more common in those who are dyslexic. Visual stress can also occur in people who are not dyslexic.
Symptoms of visual stress:
Movement of printed text
Blurring of print
Letters appear to change size or shape
Patterns appear in print
Halos of colour surround letters or words
Tire easily when reading
Headaches or visual discomfort
Red, sore, watery eyes
Signs of visual stress:
Moves closer to or further away from book
Fidgets continuously
Uses a finger as a marker on the page
Skips words or lines
Rubs eyes or blinks a lot when reading
Poor understanding of reading content
Frustration and low self-esteem
Research has shown that the use of colour can greatly improve visual comfort in such cases. Other groups of people who may benefit from the use of coloured filters include those with reading difficulties, dyspraxia, certain learning difficulties, epilepsy and migraine sufferers.
How to find out if colour can help
- 1. Eye examination – everyone who displays problems with reading should be seen for a full eye examination to exclude the need for conventional spectacles. It is then necessary to look at the way the eyes work together (binocularly) to see if eye exercises might help. Although for some children, prescribing spectacles and eye exercises will solve the problem, there are many for whom this is not the answer. These children should be assessed to see if they would benefit from reading with colour.
- 2. Overlay assessment – some teachers already use overlays in school. However, if colour has never been used to read, then an overlay assessment is carried out to find the colour that makes reading most comfortable. The overlay is used at home and school for a few weeks, to establish any improvement, before moving on to an assessment using the Intuitive Colorimeter.
- 3. Colorimetry assessment – if overlays are beneficial, the optometrist will suggest colorimetry as the next stage. This results in the prescribing of spectacles with coloured lenses. The colour of these lenses is specific to each individual’s needs, much more precise than the overlay and very often a different colour to the overlay. Coloured lenses are also much more convenient than overlays for writing, board and computer work.
YOU SAID IT
"Once again I find myself indebted to you for your terrific professionalism and kindness to me with my eyes ... Please accept my thanks and gratitude ... for your unfailing kindness, meticulous care and flexibility in looking after my eyes. You have a wonderful reputation in the town and it is most deeply deserved."
Mrs H.B.
